One seeming big difference between the Liberal view of following Jesus and the Conservative view, I find to involve the motives of men and their understanding of God’s forgiveness of the sinner. And their willingness to hear all that Jesus says.
Jesus came to pay for and to forgive our individual sin. We are told by Him that His act on our behalf will result in a new birth for us personally, but only if we believe in what He did for us and we receive it as our own causing an abiding faith in His redemptive work for the forgiveness of our sin.
Liberals who say that they follow Jesus, in general do not believe in this promised new birth, and you can’t receive from God what is rejected and not believed. Most liberal Christians instead believe in a concept, which sees all people as already belonging to God. They may even accept that all these are sinners, and that Jesus died for their sin, but that sinners have no obligation to God or to man to repent, but instead each person has an obligation to accept that the sin of every other person is forgiven, and therefore we must also forgive them for their sin just as Jesus has in their eyes done. Sounds good. In fact Jesus told us to forgive 70 X 7.
So considered from their viewpoint, even if abortion is sin, we have no right to suggest that it be illegal, because God has forgiven it, and these poor people who have no choice but to abort their children and to commit other sins are after all just that sinners, and they really can’t help themselves, remember that’s why Jesus died.
The thinking is, if Jesus is not condemning them we certainly have no right to put a guilt trip on them.
So if one of God’s children murders your husband who happens to be a police officer, it’s because a police officer did something bad to him or someone he knew. So, it’s unfortunate, but we are to just do as Jesus did and forgive him, otherwise you are not a Jesus follower. This is good reason then to just do away with the criminal Justice system, because there really are no criminals, just good people with adverse circumstances who become victims.
But wait a minute, the police officer is not entitled to his sins? When he or she potentially sins they will deserve to die. But why?Liberal Christians in this ilk allow a double standard to exist.
Now I may have some of their thinking wrong, but what they will not accept is the changed life that Jesus offers to all who believe. Notice I said offers, because this new man that Paul speaks of is not new unless he wants to be a new man in Christ Jesus. That transaction between you and God requires your acceptance of Christ’s Spirit within you to guide you, to convict you of sin when you need that conviction, to teach you the ways of righteousness, and to empower you to actually walk in Christ and conquer with God’s help the sin in your life. If you do not want Jesus He will not force Himself on you.
So, yes Liberals can quote Jesus, and actually follow some of His teachings, or try to. Example, Jesus told us to love our neighbor, so the Liberal will pass hate crime laws to keep us from telling them and others that they are guilty before God if they Abort a fetus. Or if they steal, or riot. And when we say that all lives matter, then we see the entrance again of that double Standard. But the real difference creating the Liberal’s problem is that there is no Holy Spirit conviction left for a sinner who accepts his sin but will not accept the remedy for that sin. And frankly the rejection of the Holy Spirit rebirth is the rejection of God’s payment and remedy for ones sin.
But if this is the Liberal Christian mindset, what must be the agnostic and Atheistic mindset toward morality, which is God’s real concern with mankind?
The Conservative Christian will say if you Love your neighbor as Jesus commanded; then you will tell him about the new life offered in Jesus.
The Liberal would say: if you love your neighbor you will let him alone to find God in his own way.
The agnostic would agree with the Liberal.
The Atheist would say: if you even want to show love to your neighbor eliminate God altogether.
Jesus would say: Matthew 28:19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen. (KJV)
So, if we love our neighbor we will follow Jesus and by so doing we may or rather we will offend those neighbors who don’t want all of what Jesus instructed for them in order that they would become real in their understanding in order to be true to Him in their following.
In my experience, most liberal followers of Jesus don’t want to hear about what it really means to follow Jesus. Which most assuredly involves the conquering of sin in our life, and that cannot be done apart from Him.
The Liberal believes that government can develop programs that will help the sinner overcome his plight, and some things can certainly be done in this regard, but nowhere in scripture does Jesus delegate to government what only He can do for the sinner.
And finally I apologize to anyone liberal or otherwise if I have misconstrued your thoughts or actions in this article, you may set me straight in the comments section.
And Then Messiah Shall Come 
This comment came to me via Email from Bob. I’m posting his issue and my answer here following:
I can’t ignore your most recent post that I read this morning: The difference between a Liberal and Conservative Jesus Follower and the Sin Question. I must say that I was offended by your judgmental language and the way you paint “Liberals” with a broad brush, condemning them as soft on sin. As the saying goes, “my liberty ends where yours begins.” We have laws to protect us from the harm others inflict on us and our property. There are consequences to sin and justice must be administered when crimes are committed. But you seem to be sowing seeds of fear, divisiveness, and hatred for anyone whose beliefs or worldview doesn’t match yours.
— sorry that you were one of the offended, perhaps I used too much literary license, but one of my purposes was to connect the talk of God and the Bible that is being thrown about by certain Democrats probably in response to Republican rhetoric, with the actions that are occurring in their democratically controlled cities, where they have released criminals rather than use the science of masks and social distancing to keep them and society safe. I see these actions as hypocritical and antithetical to what you are relying on from government as you state it here.
Further I would be interested in the reason for your being offended, because it was not my purpose to make every Christian with some socially liberal views to be included with liberal Christianity in my ranting. So my question is: were you offended by being included with liberal Christians, because I think that all Christians have some liberal views and those views are not what my statement was about. But if one is liberal in their Christianity, it has been my experience that they are normally very liberal in their political views. And it is they who scoff at the born again experience which Jesus said is a must in order to enter His or God’s kingdom. So I’m not sure what offended you personally. But you cannot present the Jesus of the Bible and His gospel without offending. After all look at what happened to His disciples. Jp
Maybe I’m misinterpreting your views and I won’t ascribe motive (I still remember what Andy Stanley said about the Fundamental Attribution Error), but I would encourage you to lean in and Listen to, Learn from, and Love unconditionally those who disagree with you.
— I hope that is what I am trying to do in this case, with you. Jp
You close your emails with the saying that “Words are powerful, use them well. Not mine, not yours, but only God’s truth matters.” I agree that God’s truth matters. That’s why I continue to work on becoming a better Christian and discovering where my worldview disagrees with God’s. I am a Christ follower but I continue to sin and to discover new sins that I didn’t know I had. I admit that I am a broken person desperately in need of grace. I am grateful beyond words for what Christ did for me on the cross. I will do the best I can to follow the commandments that Jesus said all the law and prophets flow from: to love God with all my heart, mind, soul, and strength—and to love my neighbor as myself. In addition, I will share the gospel in whatever way I can to everyone I can for as long as I live.
—, Great goals, but as you’ve pointed out unachievable without His grace, and I will add without His Holy Spirit in our lives (without the born again experience). I think you know this, but it too is an important element in the Biblical worldview. JP
I have different views than you. We both have valid reasons for believing what we do based on where we’ve come from and how our faith journey has taken different twists and turns. I respect your right to believe the things you do. I will do my best to follow Andy Stanley’s advice to disagree politically, love unconditionally, and pray for unity. I would also supplement your closing with an additional reminder to all of us: “Don’t judge others because they sin differently than you.” (Matthew 7:1-3)
— I totally agree with this, sin is never to be ours to judge; teachings or doctrine is another matter, because as Paul said to Timothy:
1 Timothy 4:16 Pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching; persevere in these things, for as you do this you will ensure salvation both for yourself and for those who hear you. (NASB)
The Apostle John, I believe, made clear that being born again is only the first step in becoming a son of God.
John 1:12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, [even] to those who believe in His name, 13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. (NASB)
So in closing this ends my response, I know that neither of us can change anyone, but God can use us to change one another. Love you brother. I appreciate your testimony, and your faith. May we both make progress in this walk, and in so doing take on the mind of Christ. God bless.
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